Self-coupling for mine cars



May 8, 1923.

1,4543% J. WHEWELL ET AL SELF COUPLING FOR MINE CARS Filed May 24 l92l 3 Sheets-Sheet l 42- v 5. James WizeweZZ FW 117. I. Yoda)" WITN ESSE'S ATTORNEY J. WHEWELL ET AL SELF COUPLING FOR MINE CARS- Filed May 24 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 James Wkewail PQ 34M Yoda?" INVENTOR OR Y WITNESSE3 ATT NE May 8, 1923. 1,454,201

J. WHEWELL ET AL SELF COUPLING FOR MINE CARS Filed May 24, l92l 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 James Wkawed? +6 YQQZQ? INVENTOR wmqzsssg ATTORNEY Patented May 8, i923.

JAMES WHEWELL AND HABLEYI. YODER, OF HOLSOPELE, PENNSYLVANIA.

SELF-COUPLING FOR MINE CARS.

Application filed May 24, 1921. Serial No. 72,211.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, James YVHEWELL and HARLEY 1. Your, citizens of the United States, residing at Holsopple, in the county of Somerset and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Self-Couplings for Mine Cars, of which the following is a specification.

Our present invention'has reference to a ,means primarily adapted for coupling mine cars but which may be successtully used in other connections and wherein two movable members may be automatically coupled together by the movement of one member toward the other, thus obviating the danger of applying coupling pins to links in the ordinary manner.

A further object is to produce a link coupler comprising two members which have one or" their ends pivotally connected, their other ends formed with inwardly flared j aws, while spring means is arranged between the members for normally swingin the same toward each other the construction being such that a pin or the like disposed in contacting engagement with the jaws will spread the same to permit of the said pin being received between the jaws.

A. further object is to produce a coupler for mine cars or the like which comprises two members that are pivotally connected at one of their ends and which receive between the pivoted ends a coupling pin of a car, means being provided between the members for limiting the swinging and lateral movement of the coupler with respect to the pin, said members havin their opposite ends formed with inwardly inclined or flared jaws provided with interengaging means therebetween, spring means forcing the members normally together for holding the ja s associated, said jaws designed when contacted by the coupling pin of the second car to cause the pin to move between and to spread the jaws and to be received between the jaws, while means is provided on one or both of the members for limiting the longitudinal movement of the .coupier toward the last mentioned coupling pin.

The foregoing, and other objects which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, may be accomplished by a construction, combination and operative association of parts, such as is disclosed by the drawings which accompany and which form part of this application.-

In the drawings r,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation'of two mine pars coupled in accordance with th is invenc1011.

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 1, on an enlarged scale. Figure 4 is'a perspective view of one of l the coupler members.

Figure 5 is a similar view of the coacting member.

Figure 6 is a view of the spring carrying yoke.

Figure 7 is a view of the blank from which the yoke and spring are formed.

F igure 8 is a plan view ofa modification.

Figure 9is an edge view thereof.

Figure 10 is a sectional-view on the line l0-10 of Figure 9.

Figure 11 ls a plan view of astill further modification. i

Figure 12 is'a' side elevation of the spring 30 employed in the construction disclosed by Figure 11. j

In the drawings, two mining ears are indicated by the numerals 1 and 2 respectively. Each of-the cars has at its confronting end the usual draw bar which is provided at its outer end with the upper and lower jaws 3 between which the coupling-pins 4 pass.

The coupling pin 4 on the coupler prov'ided by the jaws of the car 1 is designed to engage with the coupling member or link constructed in accordance with our invention.

Our improved coupling link comprises I two substantially rectangular members 5 and 6 respectively. Each of these members have at oneof their ends inwardly directed ears 7. The cars have their oppo- .site faces reduced whereby one of the ears is, arranged over the other ear. The inner 1m walls provided by the reduced portions are concaved and the ends of the ears are rounded. Passing through the lapping ears is a pivot 8, whereby the members and 6 are hingedly connected. The member 6. at a suitable distance inward of its ear 7 has on its inner face a widened portion providing a rib 9. .The rib is of the same thickness as the body of the member 5, and has both of its ends concaved, as at 10 and 11 respectively. The opposite end of the member 5 is formed with an inwardly extending jaw 12. The jaw has its outer face rounded, as at 13 and its inner face concaved, as at 14. The jaw, on one of the faces thereof, at its beak 15 is reduced or cut away, the inner wall of which providing a rounded slrhulder 16. n y

The body of the member 6 is straight throughout the length thereof except at its ends, its outer end or that opposite the end formed with the ear 7 is provided with a jaw 17,ot a similar size and shape to that of the jaw 13. The beak 18 ot' the jaw 17 has one of its faces depressed or cut away, the inner wall thus provided being ro mdcd to provide a shoulder 19. The shoulder 15) is designed to be contacted by the beak 15 of the jaw 13 when the jaws are brought together, and in a like manner, the shouldiet 16 of the jaw 13 is designed to be enga ed by the beak of the jaw 17-. gecured to the opposite'faces of the jaw slightly inward of the concaved end or shoulder 10 provided by the rib 9, is a yoke 20. The yoke is preferably constructed from a single piece of spring metal, and is integrally formed, at the center thereof with an extension which is bent or otherwise shaped to provide a fiat spring member 21 that is designed to contact with the outer edge of the jaw 6, to swing the said jaw on its pivot 8 to bring the inner face thereof in contacting engagement with the inner face of the lip 9, and also the beaks of the respective jaws together and in contacting engagement with the respective shoulders 16 and 19, as previously set forth.

The coupling link being received between the jaws of the coupler and the car 1 will be held against downward tilting, so that the inwardly rounded ends of the jaws will be in a position to contact thcrebetween the pin o the coupler of the car 2. when either of the cars are brought toward each other. The contacting engagement of the coupler pin with the outer rounded faces of the jaws will cause the said pin to ride between the jaws, spreading the jaw 6 away from the jaw The jaw 5 may be termed the stationary jaw of the improvement, as the yoke 20 is secured thereto. When the pin rides off of the beaks of the jaiws the spring 21. which is integrally formed with the yoke 20 will exert a pressure against the outer edge ofthe jaw (3. causing thejsaid jaw to move to closed position with respect to the jaw 5, andin so doing exert a pressure against the pin to cause the same to bc received in the space between the concaved shoulder 11 and the beak 'ot the jaw 5. the contacting engagement of the pin 4 with the shoulder l1limitingthelongitudiual movement of the I coupler in the dircction oi" the pin. "lhe movementof the coupler on the pin of the car 1 is hunted to the spa e between the shoulder '10 of the rib, and the ears of the aws, while the movement of the coupler 'on the pin ot' the car 2 is limited to the space between the shoulders 11 and 1%, so that while a free movement of the coupler between the jaws is provided, such movement is limited.

The above construction refers to a device which is employed on. comparatively light mining cars, and for heavy cars thev'mem bers 5 and (5 are constructed in c manner to that above described, having their inner ends provided with cars which are pivotally connected, the member 5" provided with the central rib 9', and the outer ends of both of the members provided with the 13 and 1?. The yoke employed, is, how-- ever, somewhat dilterent from that previonsly described. The yoke is indicated by the numeral 22 and in reality comprises a socket member, the pivot 28 employed for connecting the'ears of the coupler sections 5 and 6' also serving as a means for holding the yoke on the couplers. The opposite rnilar sides of the yoke have elongated openings 21- therethrough, in a line with the space be tween the ears ot the aws and the inner concaved shoulder of the I'll) 9, The sides the yoke are arranged a considerable distance outwardly from the sides of the con pler members 5" and 6', and on these sides there are flat spring members 24- which are arranged at an inward inclination and have their ends rounded and in contact ng engagement with the outer edges of the jaws 5' and (3, thus forcing the jaws toward each other and sustaining the coupler in normally closed position.

in Figure 11 the jaw members 5 and 6 are similarly constructed to those above de scribed. the jaw 5 having its inner edge provided with the rib 9, the said jaws being pivotally connected at their rear end and being provided with an elongated opening 50 between the rib 9 and the'ears that receive therethrough, the connecting pivot 35:. The spring 51, in this instance has its body portion arranged over the top of the jaws, being? centrally rounded upon itself to provide an eye 52 that surrounds the opening 50, the arms of the spring from the said eye beinr rounded outwardly and from thence continued straight in a line with the sides or edges of the jaws 5 and 6*. These strai'tht portions, indicated by the, numeral 53 .311 widened on their lower edges, as indicated by the numeral 5% in Figure 12. The widened portions are in direct contact with the outer sides or edges of the jaws 5 and t3, and have open inns therethrough for the reception of suit able headed securing; means 55.,

llaving ocscribcd the invention, claim 't link coupler comprising a pair 0t substantially rectangular plates having inward l in l is

' adapted to ly directed overlapping ears pivotally connected and securing the plates together at one end, inwardly directed overlapping beaks at the other ends of the plates, one of said plates being recessed between its ends, the other plate having an elongated recess on its inner edge from its beak to a point approximately at its center and a substantlally circular recess near its other end ad-- jacent its ear, a rib separating said recesses engage the inner edge of the opposite platev Within the recess of the latter, said recesses receiving the ooupling pins on adjoining cars, a yoke secured to one of the plates, and a spring arm extending from one end of said yoke engaging the outer edge of the other plate to maintain the parts in a normallycontacting position. In testimony whereof we aliix our signatures.

JAMES VVHEWELL. HARLEY I. YODER. 

